


A World of Fiction

by RickyRiddle



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Akamatsu Kaede Lives, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, NDRV3 Spoilers, Spoilers, but i wont say how upupu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-10
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:08:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28662972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RickyRiddle/pseuds/RickyRiddle
Summary: When she opened her eyes, everything seemed dark around her. Her first instinct was to bring her hand to her throat- no injury.She was fine, perfectly fine.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! I know years ago I wrote a ndrv3 au called "The Remnant of Hope" and even I still like the concept, I lost interest in this AU. I had another ndrv3 idea that I kept to myself, but I decided to finally write it as my interest in danganronpa is back. I won't say for now if it truly is an AU but I hope you'll stick around to find out and enjoy the story.

_ It hurt. The collar around her neck, slowly depriving her of precious oxygen, forcing her to stand up and keeping lifting her up in the air constantly. She simply couldn’t catch a break or simply lose consciousness; she was forced to catch up her breath just to be cruelly hung once again, blood rushing to her head as if it was going to burst at any time. _

_ She then felt those hard things getting thrown at her, rocks it seemed… But at this point, she wasn’t conscious enough to realize what was going on anymore. _

_ She closed her eyes, ready to take her last breath, then everything went black. _

When she opened her eyes, everything seemed dark around her. Her first instinct was to bring her hand to her throat- no injury.

She was fine, perfectly fine.

…

Why wouldn’t she be? Why did she think she would have some injury on her throat?

She couldn’t remember at all.

More importantly, where was she anyway?

She tried to touch around her. Seemed like she was lying in some kind of… pod? All she could feel around her was hard cold metal and a bunch of wires.

She managed to sit and push on top of her, and a trap opened.

The sun nearly blinded her. She quickly closed her eyes until she got used to the sunlight. Then, she looked around.

It looked like she was on a deserted beach, inside what appeared to be indeed some kind of pod. Was it some kind of escape pod and she crashed here? Or was it a shipwreck?

Regardless, it wouldn’t bring her anything to keep wondering about how she got here and should instead work on how to get out of here.

She jumped from the pod, finally being able to take a look at it.

It didn’t really look like an ordinary pod at all. It felt more like something you’d see in a sci-fi movie. What on Earth was that thing?

And more importantly, who the hell was she?

Not only had she no memory of how she got there, but she also had no memory of her own identity either.

She noticed that she was wearing some kind of school uniform, but it didn’t mean much about her identity other than being a student. Her hair, from what she could see, seemed long and blond.

“Who… am I?”

Before she could ponder more on the question, she was assailed by a violent headache.

“Ughh…!”

Some weird flashes passed through her mind. A boy lying on the ground, his blood splattered on the floor, tainting his green hair…

Then a student card with a blond girl’s picture on it with a name on it…

She eventually collapsed to her knees, her heart pounding even more with pain as she recalled the name-  _ her name _ .

“Akamatsu… Kaede…?”

Those were the last words she pronounced as she fully collapsed to the ground, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I decided to continue this story! I had a mind something rather short but it may involve in something better. We'll see.

_ She saw him. That boy she trusted, admired, liked… _

_ That boy she deceived. _

_ He could only see her with one eye, the other obstructed by this cap he so obstinately refused to take off. All the others she betrayed and let down were also looking at her, looking at the blackened she had become, their disappointing leader who failed to save them all as she promised. _

_ They all watched powerlessly as she was dragged away, a horrible death awaiting her. _

_ Or she thought so. _

She woke up with a jolt, instinctively reaching for her throat, without fully knowing why. It was as if she was constantly expecting to be strangled or something.

“Ah! Are you alright?”

She froze when she heard a voice close to her. She turned back to discover she wasn’t alone. Some other girl was by her side, sitting on a chair next to the bed she was lying in. She looked like a teenager, or perhaps a young adult, with short slightly messy brown hair, and wearing a worn-out school uniform.

“W-Who… Who are you? Where am I?” she asked instinctively.

“Ah, you don’t have to worry or anything, I’m not someone suspicious, I swear!” the brown-haired girl rushed to say, before smiling at her in a comforting way. “We just found you unconscious on the beach. We didn’t want to let a helpless girl like that so we took you in.”

The brunette then rose up and stood closer to her.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Naegi Komaru, and we are in Towa City.”

“Ah, I see… I’m… Akamatsu Kaede, I think.”

“You think…?”

“Hey, Omaru, who are you talking to- Ah, she’s awake!”

Another girl had stepped inside the room. Her hair was long and dark, and way messier, same for her clothing. She was wearing a pair of glasses and seemed awfully nervous and wary.

“Ah, Toko-chan! She just woke up,” Komaru replied.

“Is she… is she dangerous?”

“Hey, who are you calling dangerous!?” Kaede replied. “I should be the one to be worried to be with two strangers some place I don’t know!”

“Ehhhh!? Omaru, she’s definitely dangerous! She… she looks w-way too clean and pretty…”

“Uh… thanks?”

“That was not a compliment! That just makes you even more suspicious!”

“What Toko-chan means, in a more polite way, is that you don’t look like someone who was surviving on her own in a harsh environment. So she’s just wondering where you can from.”

“Oh… Well, it’s not like I want to hide anything and I’d love to answer, but the thing is… I don’t remember myself.”

Both Komaru and Toko glanced at each other for a moment.

“W-What do you mean, you don’t remember…?” Toko asked.

“I mean that I don’t have any memory prior to the moment I woke up on that beach. All I can remember is my name- if it really is mine, that is to say.”

That statement seemed to hit too close from home for Toko and she immediately looked unease.

“You mean… you have amnesia?”

“I guess so. Or I was just born, which I doubt since I am, well, clearly not a baby.”

Toko looked thoughtful for a moment and turned to Komaru for a brief instant, before looking back at Kaede.

“If what you’re saying is true, I have a bad feeling about this. People losing their memory is always a bad sign in these days and ages,” Toko said enigmatically.

“Eh, if you say so…”

“Anyway, what’re those clothes you’re wearing? Isn’t it overkill to have so many music notes on you? Like, were you worried others wouldn’t get you’re into music or what?”

“Toko-chan, don’t be rude-”

“Ah… right… I thought it was just a school uniform, but you are right. There’s a heavy musical theme… maybe I was a musician or something,” Kaede conceded.

“Any idea which instrument you were playing?” Komaru asked.

“Hmm…”

Kaede tried to think, but the more she was trying to recall, the more… uncomfortable she got. She could almost feel something pressing against her throat the more she tried to remember which instrument she played.

“I… really can’t remember. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Don’t force yourself to remember. I think you just need some rest. Take your time, we won’t pressure you,” Komaru assured.

“Ah, thanks, Naegi-san… and…?

“Ugh. Fukawa Toko.”

“Thanks, Fukawa-san. Both of you, for rescuing me.”

“Really it was nothing, we just couldn’t let an unconscious girl all by herself like that. Right, Toko-chan?”

“Ehh, I suppose so… this world is still dangerous after all. You never know what could be lurking around.”

Kaede was curious about that statement but decided to stay quiet. She still felt tired and weak and her head hurt a little.

“Well, we will let you rest a little more. If you need anything, you can just call us. The walls are pretty thin here,” Komaru offered.

“Thanks again, Naegi-san.”

“No problem, Akamatsu-san!”

…

Akamatsu-san.

She knew it was just her name, but why did being call that way made her felt so… sad? As if someone dear to her… called her that way too…

“ _ Don’t be stupid. That’s just your name. Of course everyone would call you that way, _ ” she scolded herself.

And yet it continued to torment her until she finally fell back to sleep.

* * *

_ “Akamatsu-san!” _

_ She could hear him clearly. His voice, she always thought he had a particular one. For a boy, he had a pretty high pitched and feminine voice. Yet, she also found it somewhat cute. _

_ His voice sounded so sad, so desperate, so… betrayed. _

_ She had betrayed him. She had betrayed all of them. The blood of an innocent person was on her hand now, and only hers could atone for her sins… _

Huh. What sins exactly?

She woke up pondering on that. Whose’s blood did she had on her hands…?

“Good morning, onee-chan!” said a cheerful voice.

Kaede jolted when she noticed she wasn’t alone. Lying down in bed with her was a young girl with long pink hair who was looking at her in awe.

“W-Who are you!?” Kaede immediately asked.

“Aww, onee-chan is so kyute when she’s all worried. But you don’t need to be, it’s not like I’ll eat you or anything. Well, maybe nibble you a little…”

Kaede’s first instinct was to get up. This girl… she looked like just a normal, innocent child. It was unlikely that she was a threat in any mean, but still, what she said was kind of disturbing.

“You… still haven’t told me who you are and why you’re here.”

“Oh, right, silly me! My name is Utsugi Kotoko, but you can just call me Kotoko-chan!”

“... Right, Kotoko-san… Why are you here?”

“Well, when I learned Komaru nee-chan and Toko nee-chan rescued a really kyute girl, I had to come see her myself! And I sure am not disappointed.”

Kaede started to relax. So she was a friend of Komaru and Toko. She suddenly found herself silly to have been so wary of a little girl. Really, what kind of threat and child could be…?

“H-Hey! You! S-Stay away from Akamatsu!”

Toko had rushed inside the room, pointing an accusing pointer towards Kotoko.

“Eh?” Was all Kaede managed to say.

“Tsk, why did the fugly girl had to interrupt my fun,” Kotoko said with a pout.

“W-Who are you calling fugly!?”

“I don’t know, look at yourself in the mirror,” Kotoko taunted. “But it might break.”

Toko grunt at that and Kaede ended up more confused than before.

“Huh… Fuwaka-san… what’s the meaning of that? Isn’t she your friend?”

“Eh!? T-This little perverted brat, my f-friend? Don’t fuck with me! S-She’s just here to steal away your v-virginity…!”

“Huh!? Fukawa-san, don’t make such a joke, she’s just a kid.”

“Toko nee-chan is so mean towards me,” Kotoko said, fake sobbing. “All I wanted was to make friends with the kyute onee-chan!”

“You mean seduce her,” Toko replied, unfazed by her fake tears.

“I mean, even if it was true, she’s too young for me,” Kaede said, trying to defuse the situation.

“Yeah! Anyway, Toko nee-chan, you already have Komaru nee-chan, so leave me Kaede nee-chan!”

“I…! T-There’s nothing between me and Komaru! I… I don’t swing that way… ugh… you damn brat!”

As Toko started to chase Kotoko’s down, Komaru stepped inside the room.

“Eh, Kotoko-chan? Toko? What’s going on here!?”

“I’m not quite sure myself… looks like they are fighting over you,” Kaede replied.

“Huh? That sure do sounds like them.”

“I’m not!” Toko protested. “Kotoko is just being a perv brat again!”

“I’m not a perv brat! I’m over 18!”

“Wait really?” Kaede asked.

“She’s obviously lying!”

As Toko and Kotoko continued to argue, Komaru simply sighed and turned her attention to Kaede.

“I found something that might interest you while exploring. I was wondering if you’d feel well enough for an expedition.”

“Huh? What is it.”

A smirk crept on Komaru’s face as she put on her hoodie.

“A concert hall.”

* * *

The room was so vast. A huge auditorium with thousands of seats and a big stage, perfect for notorious performance. On the stage were various musical instruments. Kaede could feel her heart racing with anticipation, even though she couldn’t even remember being a musician. It was as if music was part of her blood.

“So, what do you think?” Komaru asked.

“It’s… wonderful,” Kaede mumbled in awe.

“Do… Do you think y-you can remember which instrument you play?” Toko asked.

“I’m not sure, but I can try. One of those should resonate with my soul, or something.”

“Then how about you try them out?” Komaru proposed with a smile.

Kaede didn’t need to be told twice. Her whole body was already attracted to the various instruments, like magnets.

Slowly, she walked down the auditorium, stepping towards the stage. Komaru and Toko were following her not so far behind her, but Kaede’s attention was solely focused on the stage. She climbed there and started looking around, contemplating all those wonderful tools of music. Which one of them will be able to vibe with her soul? Guess she’ll have to test them all.

Her fingers slowly caressed a harp, the soft wood against her skin as she moved to the strings, gently rubbing them.

The sound it produced was soothing but yet, not what could awake the burning passion for music in her soul. She didn’t feel like the instrument she was playing had strings. But the pleasant sensation in her finger seemed to indicate those are at the center of her music.

She explored some more instruments, still searching for that intimate connection, this musical bond that kept screaming in her heart. But then, she finally found it.

At the back of the stage was a lonely piano. It seemed unused for a long time, covered in dust. Gently, Kaede brushed the dust, stroking the piano as if she wanted to comfort it. She finally opened the top, revealing its wonders: those white and black keys.

Kaede knew that she found the right one. As soon as she saw the keys, she couldn’t control her hands anymore. With a frolic movement, Kaede started to touch the keys, and an even more wonderful sound came out.

She found it. The instrument with whom she had a bond. She was a pianist.

Following her instinct, Kaede started to press the keys, guided by her soul, her passion, and her muscle memory. A beautiful melody resounded in all the concert hall, a soft yet sad melody. Komaru and Toko seemed moved by such kind music.

When she eventually finished, Kaede took a deep breath, feeling her emotions rising up. She then heard Komaru clapping.

“It was so beautiful, Akamatsu-san!”

“It… it was… Was it… Clair de Lune?” Toko asked.

“Huh, I couldn’t tell… I don’t remember this song,” Kaede replied.

“Do you know any other?” Komaru asked.

“Hmm, I don’t remember any song, but if I let my heart guide me, I suppose I can play something else I used to know.”

Kaede’s fingers were back on the piano, moving with great ability on the various keys.

“Oh, I think I know this one… It’s a song for debutants,” Toko said. “Der Flohwalzer, I think.”

But unlike her previous melody, this one… sounded awful. The notes were all wrong and the music was all wrapped, a true musical discord. It was so out of tune. Sweats started to drop from Kaede’s forehead as she started to breathe heavily.

“Huh… Akamatsu-san?” Komaru asked with concern.

Kaede tried to continue to play, but the more she did, the more the music sounded awful. She was now panting as if she was out of breath. And yet, she couldn’t stop playing.

“Akamatsu-san!?”

Bot Komaru’s voice couldn’t reach her anymore. Her voice sounded distorted too, and all she could hear was  _ his  _ voice, engulfed in this warped music from hell.

“Akamatsu-san!”

Kaede froze. She could feel something around her neck, tightening dangerously. It was as if her windpipe was being crushed. She let go of the piano and reached for her throat, unable to breath anymore. Some invisible force was strangling her.

She gasped in pain as she desperately tried to breathe, but it was in vain. She was quickly overwhelmed by a vivid headache.

Kaede eventually collapsed to the floor, frantically grabbing her throat, trying to break free from this invisible clutch. She was in such panic that she didn’t notice Komaru and Toko by her side, visibly confused and worried.

And then, Kaede remembered everything. She remembers her sins. The people she so desperately wanted to save, the blood on an innocent she shed, those same people she ended up deceiving…

_ As well as her death. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when is this story taking place?
> 
> Also, in this fic Komaru is dressed like one of her beta design: https://i.redd.it/zuee8urq83y31.jpg


	3. Chapter 3

_ She knew she was going to die, and she had made no attempt to avoid it; she had accepted her fate. It was the only way to atone for her crimes- and made sure she wouldn’t cause any more innocents to perish because of her. She had enough blood on her hands. _

_ The last thing she saw before being dragged away by a collar to her rightful punishment was the boy she deceived, extending his arm hopelessly, trying desperately to reach her hand, in vain… _

_ The noose she tied around her own neck finally strangled her. _

Kaede gasped when she woke up. She could still feel the collar around her neck, slowly depriving her of the precious oxygen she needed. And yet, she could breathe just fine now.

This realization hit Kaede like a truck. She was alive. And yet, she clearly remembered dying…

Desperate to find an answer to this illogical realization, Kaede looked around and noticed she was in what appeared to be a hospital room, lying down in a bed.

Did she survive her execution and was being treated in a hospital? And if so, why would Monokuma agree to that? Unless… someone came to save them.

Yes, it had to be it. There was simply no other logical explanation.

Then, where were the others?

Before she could ponder on that more, someone suddenly stepped inside the room.

“Oh, Akamatsu-san. You’re awake.”

Kaede was greeted with the sight of a man she never met before. He looked rather young but was dressed professionally. He was most likely an adult but his short stature made him look much younger. Kaede instinctively recoiled a little in her bed, unconsciously wary of who he might be and if he was an ally or an enemy.

“Who… who are you? And where am I?” Kaede asked, trying to hide her wariness. “And how do you know my name?”

“Ah, you don’t have to be worried. My sister simply told me. You’re safe now, in a hospital,” the man replied with a comforting smile. “And to answer your question, I’m Naegi Makoto, headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy.”

“...Huh?”

Naegi… Naegi… Naegi…

Of course. How could she have forgotten? But this just made everything make any less sense to her.

“So you are… Naegi-san’s brother,” Kaede said softly. “I… almost forget about her. The fact I met her… just makes no sense with what I just remembered.”

“Akamatsu-san…? What do you mean by that? Komaru told me you were amnesiac when she met you, but judging by what you told me, I assume you gain back your memory-”

“Yes, and that’s exactly what doesn’t make any sense! Wasn’t I rescued from that awful place? Then how did I end up wandering alone on that beach in the first place!? What’s going on!? Where are all the others!?”

“A-Akamasu-san, please calm down! I don’t know any more than you. I don’t know what awful place you are talking about, but you are safe here, I promise. Please, tell me what happened, and I’ll do everything I can to help you.”

Kaede felt like shouting again, but she could feel how genuine Naegi sounded. He really didn’t seem to know what was going on, and if he could truly help, then perhaps she should trust him. Not that she had many other choices, really.

So she told him everything she remembered. Waking up in that hell of a school with 15 other Ultimates, being forced into that twisted killing game by that morbid teddy bear, as well as the first- well, two first, motives. Naegi listened to her carefully, yet she could clearly see the shock in his eyes.

“So, another killing game took place… with Monokuma,” he mumbled more to himself. “How could this be possible…?”

“Another? You mean… this isn’t the first time it’s happening? And you know Monokuma!?”

“Yes… There were two other killing games like the one you’re describing to me. Both hosted by Monokuma. I… was one of the survivors in the first one.”

Kaede could barely believe what she just heard. Naegi… was just like her.

“So… are you an Ultimate too?” she asked, trying to regain her composure.

“I used to be. I was invited to Hope’s Peak Academy as the Ultimate Lucky Student.”

“Ultimate… Lucky Student?”

“Oh? You don’t know?” he began to say, visibly surprised. “For each class at Hope’s Peak, a normal student is chosen randomly through a lottery, and this student is given the Ultimate talent of Lucky Student.”

“Ah, I see… Then perhaps it was Amami-kun’s talent…,” Kaede began to say, her heart tightening as she remembered the boy she murdered. “Huh, you keep talking about this, but… what is Hope’s Peak Academy exactly?”

This time, Naegi looked more than surprised; he was utterly confused.

“Akamatsu-san… you… don’t know what Hope’s Peak is?”

“I… No? Should I? I guess it’s some sort of school for talented people, most likely Ultimates, but other than that, I never heard of it before. Is it that weird?”

Naegi didn’t answer her question right away, seeming lost in his thoughts for a moment.

“Hm, no, it’s not. I suppose your memory isn’t fully back yet. Yes, that must be it…”

He may have said that but Kaede could see he was still troubled by what she told him.

“Naegi-kun-”

“Anyway. What happened after Monokuma gave his first motive? Did someone… commit murder?”

Kaede really wished he wouldn’t ask that, but she didn’t want to run away from the truth. Especially if he could help her.

“Yes. Me.”

Naegi didn’t answer right away nor did he show any particular emotions. Kaede was somewhat grateful that he didn’t look judgemental, even if she knew she deserved any contempt thrown at her.

“I see,” he said. “Then, what happened?”

“We investigated and held a class trial. I was rightfully voted as the blackened and executed.”

“But… you’re alive.”

“I know that very well. That’s why… nothing makes sense anymore. You must be thinking I’m either a liar or crazy, but I’m telling you the truth. Or at least, what I remember.”

“I don’t think you’re lying, Akamatsu-san… You said the first motive was the first murder didn’t count and the culprit could just get away with it, right?”

“Yes, but I didn’t reveal myself. We held a class trial, and I was voted as the blackened. And yet, here I am.”

“Hm, could it be… Monokuma intended for the first culprit to still escape, whether they confess or not?”

“Huh? But, I was executed-”

“But were you really executed?”

“I… I remember the collar dragging me to that huge piano, I was hung, I choke to death…”

“But how can you be sure you did? What do you remember exactly about your execution?”

“I just told you! I was hung and strangled to death! I couldn’t breathe anymore and everything felt spinning around me, and then… everything turned pitch black.”

“Then, could it be… you lost consciousness because of the lack of oxygen? And then, whatever happened after, you were actually spared?”

“How could that even be possible…! And even so, why would Monokuma even spare me? He clearly wanted someone to get brutally executed for the sake of his sick game!”

“Exactly! But as you said, the first motive was that the first culprit could get away. What if… He pretended to execute you to the others, but he somehow managed to fake your death and let you escape?”

“That’s… making even less sense… Why would he even-”

“To not break his own rules while still keeping the game going. Whoever is behind this game is probably a sticker to the rules, but wouldn’t want the game to simply end right when it started. Or they are expecting something from you now that you escape.”

“What could they possibly want from me?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we can truly understand what’s going on in the head of someone sick enough to orchestrate a killing game. But that seems like the more possible option to me.”

“Hm… I suppose it’s right. Then the others… they must still be stuck there. We have to do something…!”

“We will take care of that. You don’t have to worry. You just need to rest for now,” Naegi said as started to walk away.

“W-Wait!” Kaede exclaimed.

Naegi stopped and turned back. “Yes, Akamatsu-san?”

“The place we were kept prisoners… I think Monokuma called it, huh, Prison School for Gifted Juveniles… or something like that.”

“Prison School huh… Thanks for the information, Akamatsu-san. We’ll do everything we can to find it and put an end to this killing game.”

“Please, do so.”

Naegi simply nodded to that, offering her the same comforting smile he showed her before, and exited the room. Kaede laid back in bed, wondering why Monokuma would have gone out of his way to spare her, as well as what he could possibly want from her being free.

* * *

Kaede simply couldn’t fall asleep. Naegi didn’t come to see her again and she was starting to get worried. She had the bad feeling that he might be hiding something he discovered from her, and she needed to know why- and what.

She had waited enough. Her friends were still stuck in this awful killing game and she wasn’t just going to sit around and wait. She will take matters into her own hands.

Kaede got out of bed and exited the room. There was no one to be seen in the corridor so she simply wandered around, trying to hear anything. After a while, she finally heard some voices talking saying her name, and recognized Naegi’s. He seemed to be talking with a woman she didn’t recognize the voice and then, two other female voices could be heard.

“ _ Are those… Naegi-san and Fukawa-san? _ ”

Kaede headed towards the voices, which were coming from behind a door. Carefully, she stood there, listening.

“And do you really trust her?” the female she didn’t recognize said.

“I don’t see why I should doubt her,” Naegi replied.

“Why invent such a lie? It doesn't make sense,” Komaru added.

“I… I mean, what she said… is just plain impossible,” Toko said.

“Exactly. Therefore, whether her intentions are malicious or not, it has to be a lie.”

Kaede from for a moment. They were… doubting her? Calling her a liar?

Pushed by an uncontrollable need to stand for herself, Kaede burst inside the room.

“I didn’t lie!” Kaede exclaimed.

Naegi, Komaru and Toko all froze, looking at her with consternation. The fourth member was a young woman with long lilac hair who only showed a stoic glare.

“A… Akamatsu-san!?” Naegi exclaimed. “You shouldn’t be-”

“What are you talking about? Why are you implying I somehow lie?” Kaede accused.

“So you were listening,” the lilac haired woman said calmly, still no apparent emotion on her face.

“I… wasn’t. I just happened to hear you… and I have a good hearing…”

“As expected from a pianist- I suppose,” the woman added.

“Kirigiri-san…!” Naegi exclaimed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kaede asked, a little bit too defensive.

The woman- Kirigiri apparently, remained quiet for a moment before she sighed.

“Don’t take it personally. I’m not saying you are necessarily lying. After all, if you are faithfully telling us your own memories, then it’s only fair you would perceive those as the truth. Hence what I’m doubting are not your words, but rather your memory itself.”

“Huh!? What… are you implying I’m just imagining things!?”

“Not necessarily. I can’t tell for sure, but if memories can be erased, then it shouldn’t be impossible to tamper with them and make you remember things that simply never happened. That’s all,” Kirigiri explained calmly.

Could… could it be true? Everything that happened, being trapped in this awful school, being forced into this cruel game, murdering an innocent boy, was that all just fake memories? Part of wished it was the case, that she didn’t become a murderer, but that would just avoid the truth. She knew what she went through and it simply couldn’t be just a dream. She was a killer and she already accepted this fact.

“No, that’s wrong!” Kaede exclaimed. “You have no proof of that. Implanting false memories? That’s simply impossible! That’s foolish! On what basis are you even implying it could be true…!”

“Because there is no such a thing as an Ultimate Pianist called Akamatsu Kaede,” Kirigiri interrupted with the same monotone voice.

Kaede’s heart skipped a beat. For a moment, she almost felt as if her whole world just collapsed, shattered by Kirigiri’s words.

It… couldn’t be true, right? That woman, she must be lying, right? Right!?

Suddenly, Kaede started to giggle as if all of this was just an elaborate prank.

“Ah.... ahah... hahahaha, what… what are you saying? Of course there is, I’m right there, Akamatsu Kaede, the Ultimate-”

“Sorry, but it’s plainly not true. There is no record of you even being a Hope’s Peak student.”

“As I already said, I know nothing about that school-”

“Exactly. Ultimates are exclusive to Hope’s Peak Academy. The mere fact that you, a supposed Ultimate student, don’t even know about Hope’s Peak proof my doubt. You simply are not the Ultimate Pianist.”

“But… But…! I can play the piano! Naegi-san and Fukawa-san can confirm they heard me play!” Kaede said as she gave a pleading look to Komaru and Toko. Right?”

“I mean, yes, Akamatsu-san was quite a skilled pianist! The music she played was such a beautiful melody,” Komaru replied.

“W-Well, she messed up the second piece she tried to play, but… she was having an attack or something so…”

“See? I didn’t lie! I’m a pianist!”

“Even if you are a skilled pianist, it doesn’t prove you are the Ultimate Pianist,” Kirigiri replied.

“Then are you calling me a liar!?” Kaede shouted, starting to lose her temper.

“No. As I said, I think it’s possible you have false memories-”

“That’s just absurd! You’re telling me that everything I went through wasn’t real? Everyone, Amami-kun, Saihara-kun, none of them existed-”

“Saihara-kun?” Kirigiri suddenly said with interest.

“Yes, Saihara-kun. My friend. He was real! He was the Ultimate Detective!”

Kirigiri looked surprised for a moment, pondering.

“Hm… That’s too much of a coincidence. Something is odd here,” she mumbled.

“Yes, the fact you try to claim all my friends don’t exist-”

“No, I do think they exist now. But it doesn’t mean your memory is intact either. Just that they may exist,” Kirigiri specified. “Saihara… My grandfather had a rival detective with that name. His son became a detective too, and was training one of his siblings’ kids… I never heard of them, but I supposed it could be this Saihara-kun you mentioned. Not that he could possibly be the Ultimate Detective.”

“And why’s that?” Kaede asked with challenge in her voice.

“Because I am the Ultimate Detective- well, used to be when I was still a student,” Kirigiri replied.

Kaede ended up at a loss for word. She… must be lying… right? It had to be.

“You’re lying… it can’t be…”

“I’m sorry, Akamatsu-san, but… she’s telling the truth. Kirigiri-san was the Ultimate Detective, and she would know better than anyone if she had a successor to that title,” Naegi said.

“But… Why did Saihara-kun… say he was the Ultimate Detective? Why… why do I remember… being the Ultimate Pianist? Did none of them… actually have an Ultimate talent? Did they all have fake memories too…?

“It’s what my deductions led me to believe, yes. The reason why is still unknown to me, as well as if an actual third killing game is indeed taking place as we speak,” Kirigiri said.

“Then why would someone put memories of a bunch of normal people with fake Ultimate talents!?” Kaede snapped.

“I don’t know,” Kirigiri simply answered. “I need more evidence.”

Kaede was about to snap again but before she could, some man in a suit burst inside the room.

“Naegi-kun!” he exclaimed. “We finally managed to catch a brief broadcast and record it.”

“Huh?” Kaede asked. “What broadcast?”

The man hesitated to continue until Naegi nodded.

“You can talk,” he said.

“Okay. So, what we caught was… it looked just like that game you were stuck in, Naegi-kun. There were teenagers… in the middle of a class trial, I believe.”

Kaede was already feeling her heart racing but it almost felt like it would come out of her chest when she heard the rest he had to say.

“I can only recall one name who was spoken, someone named Saihara…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens.

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know if you're interested!


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